Mythische

Mythische is the inflected form of the Dutch adjective mythisch, meaning mythical or legendary. It is used to describe things that belong to myth or mythologies, or that have the quality of a myth. In typical Dutch usage, mythische appears in attributive position before a noun when the noun is accompanied by a definite determiner or is in a plural or certain fixed expressions (for example, de mythische figuur, de mythische verhalen, de mythische wezens).

Etymology and sense origins are shared with related Germanic and Romance terms for myth and storytelling. The Dutch word derives from ancient concepts of myth and legend, with a trajectory through languages that studied or translated mythic traditions. In modern usage, mythische commonly signals that the character, object, or event is part of traditional storylines rather than a verified historical fact.

In practice, mythische is widely used in literature, journalism, and cultural analysis to describe fictional or legendary elements. It can apply to characters, places, artifacts, and events that are presented as part of a mythic world or as embodying archetypal themes. The corresponding English translations are mythical or mythic, depending on nuance. In contrast, the predicative adjective form mythisch is used in contexts such as het verhaal is mythisch, where the claim is about the nature of the subject rather than a direct description in attributive position.

See also: myth, mythology, legende, mythe, mythisch.